Over the past couple days, I was fortunate enough to have some time to explore Medina and see some real gems around town. Melissa suggested a while back that I share more of my everyday life, because sometimes I do more than just run and drink wine.

Between Saturday and Tuesday, I was fortunate enough to visit some new places and some old favorites in Medina. Saturday night we headed to Cipriani’s, the new restaurant in town as part of my birthday celebration. As requested, I wanted someplace Italian, and when we saw that Cipriani’s had opened up, we couldn’t wait to try it.

We made a reservation, but luckily missed the crowd and were able to be seated right away. The restaurant had a cozy feel, with a mix of tables for dining and a bar for just hanging out. We started with shrimp cocktail, bread and salad, accompanied with some pretty good wine. The server was very friendly, and never rushed us through anything. I ordered the Angel Hair with Marinara and Darren got the Chicken Alfredo. Both were delicious and we had enough to take home for a meal the next day. We finished up dinner with some amazing Tiramisu, my absolute favorite.

The meal, the atmosphere and the whole experience were a lot better than we had expected. Pricing wasn’t too expensive either, which means Cipriani’s could definitely become a regular place for us. I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

Tuesday I continued my birthday celebrations by taking the day off work and treating myself to a massage and manicure. I tried out Bella Sorrellas and was very impressed. I opted for the full hour massage, and at a price of $45, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But it was hands down the best massage I’ve ever had. I followed it up with a shellac manicure, and at a price of $20, you really can’t complain. I’m certainly looking forward to treating myself more often with this place so close to home.

Massage room, ready to relax!

I finished up Tuesday with some of my favorite spots, Cool Beans Cafe and Buckeye Woods. Not only does Cool Beans have some pretty good coffee, but their lunch menu is getting better and better. I already know we’ll be biking down there quite a bit this summer.

Some new and some old, the smaller places in Medina have their charm. I’m excited to see what else we discover that will hopefully become our favorite places! If you want to keep up with our new discoveries, you can check out a new page that includes events and places around Medina.